LESOTHO SCHOOL STARTS BUILDING CLASSROOM FROM FUNDS GENERATED THROUGH GRASSROOTS TOURISM

Ha Tseko Primary School in the Lesotho mountain Kingdom has started building the foundation of a new classroom with funds raised from GRASSROOTS TOURISM, the philosophy upon which Drakensberg Adventures bases all of its tours. Guests staying at Sani Lodge Backpackers owned by Simone and Russell Suchet since 1992 are taken up into Lesotho via their travel Company named Drakensberg Adventures. The Eastern Lesotho village tours include multiple Basotho stakeholders who are partners with DA providing services for which they are individually paid directly from the guest tour price and include; accommodation, food, dancing groups, guides, visit to the traditional healer and artifacts house, and a visit to Ha Tseko and Mphere schools nearby. For each guest going on these tours, R15 per person is set aside for the schools fund, whether they visit the schools or not ( if a tour falls over a weekend or school holidays, they will not be open). The amount of R 58 299 has accrued to the end of the financial year in February 2015.This figure includes R30 714 donations largely contributed most generously by the Pink Caravan Group and Beechen Cliff School and R27 585 in total from guests going on the EL tour.
Mphere Primary School will also have a new classroom built this year from the same fund. The design of the new classrooms will allow for much needed further expansion of the school . Both rural schools have been operating with approximately 70 pupils in each multi-grade classroom, hence the dire need for more classrooms. We wish to thank everyone who has donated financially as well as bringing books and learning tools towards this worthy cause and / or been a participant on one of our Eastern Lesotho tours. Your involvement has translated into providing opportunities for children in Lesotho to be taught in a greatly enhanced learning environment. This is exactly what GRASSROOTS TOURISM is all about; tourism generated funds being directed into areas most needed and sustainable social upliftment in impoverished areas.